Define progress

For over 8 months now I've struggled with the power company over their plan to replace the poles last June during Elf Owl nesting season. I got Texbirders on board and we got their attention. As it turned out by the time they got ready to actually do the work to my section of the job, Elf Owl nesting season was long gone. (The first half of the project was done before I found out about it, but it was done before the owls arrived in 2010. Or at least I try to believe that. Some of the workers did tell me they encountered owls in the poles.)

Now they have a contractor and are gung ho to do the job. And now Elf Owls will be returning in 6 - 8 weeks! No way can they finish by then, so to placate me they're doing my property first. Today they started putting up new poles. Later they'll come back and attach the new heavier cable. Happily, they agreed to bypass my oasis with the new line. And if I live another 20 years I may see the freeway (not much exaggeration here) they're dozing under the line, all the way across my land, heal over. This line carries electricity to Lajitas and parts beyond.

I  won't be totally placated that easily, but it's a start. I emailed the contractor and told him if the pole part of the project wasn't done by Mar 15th, I would go public. I also pointed out that it was illegal to destroy their nests. I haven't heard back from him. According to some of the workers, I'm not the only one trying to protect the owls. A huge ranch adjacent to me has a caretaker (Gene Kearns) who is also very concerned about the owls, as are a few others. The old poles by my oasis they'll leave as are, or shorten. Those they have to remove I'll shorten and replant here and there. Trying to make lemonade out of lemons here.

In all fairness, I enjoy electricity and they are doing their best, within fulfilling their needs, to work with me. I try to not be too difficult. See my article on the owls in the Texas Ornithological Society's " 2010 Texas Birds Annual. To be continued...